Channel cutter for shoe sole stitching machines



Oct. 4, 1966 Filed July 31,

J. FERRARA 3,276,406 CHANNEL CUTTER FOR SHOE SOLE STITCHING MACHINES1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1

CHANNEL CUTTER FOR SHOE SOLE STITCHING MACHINES Filed July 31, 1963 J.FERRARA Oct. 4, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 a mm 1966 J. FERRARA 3,276,406

CHANNEL CUTTER FOR SHOE SOLE STITCHING MACHINES Filed July 31, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,276,406 CHANNEL CUTTER FUR SHOESOLE STlTCHlNG MACHENES John Ferrara, 641 Park Ave, Rochester, N.Y.;Charles Ferrara, administrator of the estate of said John Ferrara,deceased Filed .luly 31, 1963, Ser. No. 298,960 9 Claims. ((11. 112-45)This invention relates to a channel cutter for shoe sole stitchingmachine, for the purpose of cutting a channel in the bottom of the solefor receiving the stitching which unites the sole to the rest of theshoe structure, so that upon completion of the stitching operation thestitching is more or less hidden in the channel, with the result of aneater and more attractive appearance of the finished article.

An object of the invention is the provision of a generally improved andmore satisfactory channel cutter for this purpose.

Another object is the provision of a channel cutter which is useful bothin resoling or repair operations, and in original shoe manufacturingoperations.

Still another object is the provision of a channel cutter so designedand constructed as to offer minimum resistance to pulling the shoe solealong during the stitching operation, thereby eliminating the breakageof the awl which has frequently occured in the past, when the cutter hasoffered too great resistance to the feeding movement performed by thelateral movement of the awl.

A still further object is the provision of channel cut ting mechanism sodesigned and constructed as to be easily applied as an attachment to andexisting shoe sole stitching machine already in use in the field, suchas in a shoe repair shop.

These and other desirable objects may be attained in the mannerdisclosed as an illustrative embodiment of the invention in thefollowing description and in the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic side elevation of a shoe solestitching machine of a conventional kind widely used, with a preferredembodiment of the channel cutter applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary schematic front elevation of part of thestitching machine with the channel cutter applied thereto, parts of thechannel cutter being broken away and parts being shown in verticalsection;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the channel cutter attachment; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view thereof, viewed from the left end.

Many previous attempts have been made to develop satisfactory channelcutters of one kind or another, and the present applicant has securedseveral prior patents on various forms of cutters, including thefollowing United States Patents: 1,924,737, August 29, 1933; 2,148,546,February 28, 1939; 2,197,796, August 23, 1940; 2,343,501, March 7, 1944;2,523,948, September 26, 1950.

The prior developments, especially the present applicants most recentPatent 2,523,948, have been reasonably satisfactory under manycircumstances, but still have left something to be desired in case ofattachment to existing shoe sole stitching machines already in use inrepair shops, and in reliability of speedy operation without breakage ofthe awl when the cutting mechanism hits a relatively hard portion of theleather. These disadvantages of prior constructions are overcome by thepresent improved construction.

The present construction may be applied to a variety "ice of stitchingmachines already well known and in use. A typical shoe sole sewing orstitching machine as commonly used in the industry includes thefollowing parts:

(a) A stationary work support on which the marginal edge of the shoe isplaced in an inverted or upside-down position, with the shoe soleuppermost and with the welt or other portion of the shoe to which thesole is to be stitched, underneath the sole and on top of the worksupport.

(b) A presser foot mechanism bearing down on the sole of the shoe (inthe inverted position thereof) to hold the shoe firmly down on thestationary work support, the presser foot mechanism normally beingpivoted on a horizontal axis so that it may be raised for easy insertionof the margin of the shoe between the work support and the presser foot,and then may be brought down onto the sole of the shoe with adequatepressure.

(c) A needle which moves upwardly and downwardly in an arc in a fixedplane extending in a general direction from front to back of themachine, the needle being mounted above the work support and presserfoot and coming down through the sole of the shoe during the downwardstroke of the needle, then returning upwardly to a position above theshoe sole.

((1) A feeding slide which reciprocates horizontally back and forth in adirection from side to side of the machine, approximately perpendicularto the plane in which the needle operates.

(e) An awl mounted below the work support for arcuate movement upwardlyand downwardly to penetrate through the sole and the accompanying weltfrom beneath, the awl operating not in a fixed plane the Way the needledoes, but rather in a plane which moves with the feeding slide, the awlmechanism either being mounted on or at least deriving a motion from thefeeding slide.

As well understood in the art, the awl comes up from beneath, penetratesthe sole of the shoe and the accompanying welt, and then while the sOleand welt are impaled on the awl, the awl moves bodily laterally throughthe space or distance of one stitch, which brings the awl to the samevertical plane in which the needle operates, and in direct alinementwith the needle. Usually this feeding motion is to the left, when viewedfrom the standpoint of an operator standing in front of the machine.Then the awl is drawn downwardly, and the needle comes down into thesame hole which has just been formed through the sole by the awl. Whenthe awl has been completely withdrawn from the sole and the welt, theawl then moves back laterally in the opposite direction (normally to theright) through the distance of one stitch, and again comes upwardly tomake a new hole through the sole and the welt. By the time the awl haspenetrated upwardly through the Welt and the sole, the needle hascompleted its stitch and has been withdrawn upwardly from the sole, sothat the awl then performs another leftward feeding motion (along withthe feeding slide) to carry the shoe leftwardly through the space ofanother stitch, this operation being repeated indefinitely.

As above stated, these parts just mentioned are typical of shoe solesewing machines of various models and makes. The channel cuttingattachment of the present invention is adaptable to any conventionalsewing machine having these parts just mentioned. Merely for the sake ofa specific example, the present invention is shown as applied to astitching machine of the kind d-isclosed in United States Patent473,870, issued April 26, 1892, for an invention of French and Meyer.But those skilled in the art will readily understand, as the descriptionof the exemplary embodiment of the present invention proceeds, that theinvention may be readily applied to any other model or make of shoe solestitching machine having the general characteristics briefly outlinedabove, simply by making appropriate changes in the shapes or dimensionsof the various mounting brackets and connecting parts which serve tomount the attachment on the stitching machine.

Referring now to the drawings, certain parts of the basic stitchingmachine are shown in dot-dash lines, so as to differentiate moreconspicuously between the basic machine known per se, and the attachmentor accessory which constitutes the present invention. Thus the basicmachine may comprise, for example, various stationary frame partsindicated at 11, and a feeding slide schematically shown at 13,corresponding for example to the feeding slide B3 in the above mentionedPatent 473,870 (hereafter sometimes referred to as said patent). Thereis an awl schematically shown at 15, corresponding to the awl a2 in saidpatent, the awl moving upwardly and downwardly in an arc, and alsomoving leftwardly and r-i-ghtwardly with the feeding slide 13. There isalso a needle 17 which moves downwardly and upwardly in a fixed plane,and which corresponds to the needle b2 in said patent.

The work support is schematically indicated at 19. On it there areplaced, in the usual inverted position, the marginal portions of theshoe sole 21 and the welt 23, with the sole uppermost and with the weltresting directly upon the work support 19. This work supportcorresponds, for example, to the work support d in said patent.

The basic machine also includes presser foot mechanism having a presserfoot movable downwardly into engagement with the sole 21 to applypressure thereto during the stitching operation, and movable upwardlyaway from the sole when the completed shoe is to be removed from themachine or a different shoe is to be placed on the Work support. Theexact details of the presser foot mechanism of the basic machine are notimportant for purposes of the present invention, and it is suificient tosay that in the basic machine as here partially illustrated, there is ahorizontal shaft 25 on Which arms 27 and 29 are mounted for oscillation,corresponding respectively to the shaft 2 and the arms a and c in saidpatent. Spring mechanism of known form indicated in general at 31,without attempting to describe the details thereof, tends to turn thearms 27 and 29 in a counterclockwise direction when viewed as in FIG. 1,thereby tending to cause downward movement of the presser foot itselfwhich is on the left or forward end of the arm 27, in a position overthe work support 19.

The parts thus far described are the pertinent parts of one known formof basic machine, as above mentioned. Referring now to the parts whichconstitute the present accessory or attachment, this comprises a bracket41 (FIG. 1) having its bottom shaped to fit on an appropriate part ofthe oscillatable presser foot mechanism, so that the bracket and theparts carried thereby will oscillate as a unit with the presser footmechanism when the presser foot is raised or lowered. When the basicmachine with which this accessory is to be used, is a machine of thegeneral type shown in said Patent 473,870, it is convenient to removeand discard the handle ex shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings of saidpatent, and attach the lower end of the bracket 41 in the position wherethe lower end of the handle of lever ex is attached in said patent.

Mounted at the top of the bracket 41, and supported thereby, is the mainpart of the channel cutting mechanism of the present invention, andpreferably also the driving motor for the same, although it is possibleto place the driving motor in a different location and connect it to thechannel cutter mechanism by a flexible driving shaft, if desired. In thepreferred form of construction, the upper end of the bracket 41 carriesa hollow housing indicated in general at 43, having an opening 45 ofrectangular cross section in a horizontal plane, and

extending approximately vertically when the cutter mechanism is in itsnormal cutting position. Of course it will not be vertical but will 'betitlted, whenever the cutter mechanism is swung upwardly and rearwardly.This opening 45 constitutes a guideway for a movable block 47 whichslides up and down in the guideway 45, as further explained below. Theslide block 47 is held against forward displacement from the guideway 45by means of a front plate 49 on the front face of the housing 43, heldin place thereon by screws 51. The rear face and the left end face ofthe block 47 fit against corresponding faces of the guideway 45, thefront face of the rblock fits against the inner face of the plate 49,and the righthand face of the block 47 fits against an adjustable gibmember 55 preferably of tapered or wedge formation as shown in FIG. 2,so that a slight vertical adjustment of the gib 55 will produce thedesired degree of tightness of the slide 47 in its guideway. The taperedgi-b 55 is held by clamping screws 57.

Extending horizontally through suitable openings in the housing 43 is ashaft 61, with its axis extending paral-' lel to the direction of motionof the feeding slide 13. This shaft 61 is supported for rotation insuitable bearings 63, one on either side of the slide block 47, rollerbearings being convenient for this purpose and being illustrated. Whennecessary, the bearings are lubricated through conventional lubricationfittings 65 mounted on the top of the housing 43. The slide block 47 isformed with a slot extending through the full dimension of the blockfrom left to right, and elongated from front to back and opening at therear face of the block 47, and the shaft 61 passes through this slot 67.The portion 69 of the shaft which passes through the slot is eccentricWith relation to the portions which are journaled in the bearings 613,and the slot 67 is dimensioned to have a snug fit in a verticaldirection on this eccentric portion 69 of the shaft. Therefore, as theshaft rotates, the block 47 will be caused to slide upwardly anddownwardly in the guideway 45.

In the preferred construction, the right end of the housing 43 is formedwith fingers 71 which carry at their right ends a mounting ring 73. Asmall electric motor 75 is mounted on the ring 73 by means of bolts 77,with the armature shaft 79 of the motor preferably in direct alinementwith the shaft 61 and coupled directly thereto by a sleeve coupling 81held by set screws 83. Thus the operation of the motor will turn theshaft 61, and the eccentr-ic portion 69 on the shaft will cause verticalreciprocation of the slide block 47.

The slide block 47 is extended downwardly below the bottom of thehousing 43, and there is expanded laterally to provide one or morebearing portions 91 furnishing a bearing for a shaft or rod 93 which isarranged parallel to the shaft 61 and which is longitudinally slidablein the bearing portion 91, but is made non-rotatable therein, either bymaking the shaft 93 of appropriate non-circular shape (e.g., triangularor square) or by using a spline 95. At the left end of the shaft 91 anarm 97 is clamped tightly to it, preferably in an adjustable manner byhaving the shaft-encircling portion of the arm split as indicated at 99and contracted by a bolt 101 to clamp tightly on the shaft. At the lowerend of the arm 97 there is an approximately vertical slot 103 in whichis held the upper end or shank portion of the cutter 105 held in theslot 103 by a bolt 107. From this shank portion, the cutter extendsangularly leftwardly as at 109 and terminates in a downwardly extendingcutting blade portion 111 which has a sharp lower edge, slightly roundedupwardly to the right, when viewed from the front as in FIG. 2.

This knife blade or cutter member 109 works upwardly and downwardly in avertical slot in the special presser foot indicated in general at 121(FIG. 3), which replaces the regular presser foot e2 shown in saidpatent. This special presser foot has one presser foot portion 123 justbehind the knife blade 109 and another presser foot portion 125 just infront of the knife blade 109, divided from each other by a slot 127which form-s a guide for the upward and downward movements of the cutterblade. The main portion or body portion 121 of the presser foot may besecured to the front part 27a of the presser foot lever 27 by bolts orscrews in the same locations as the presser foot mounting screws shownin FIG. 3 of said Patent 473,870 but not identified by referencenumerals. Or, in addition to or as a substitute for such screws, thepresent presser foot may be held by bolts 129 (FIG. 3) which passthrough an elongated slot 131 in a forwardly extending flange 133 formedintegrally on the front of the lower part of the bracket 41. Byloosening the bolts 129 and moving them in one direction or the otheralong the slot 131, the position of the special presser foot andtherefore the position of the knife blade can be accurately adjusted sothat the knife blade is directly in line (in the direction of feedingmotion) with the awl and the needle 17, so that the cut made by thecutting portion 111 of the knife blade (as further explained below) willbe in precisely the right position so that the stitching will occur inthe cut, rather than to one side thereof.

Mounted on the feeding slide 13 by means of a bolt 141 (FIGS. 1 and 2)is an upwardly extending arm 143 which is suitably connected to theshaft 93 to cause longitudinal or axial movement of the shaft from thelongitudinal movement of the feeding slide 13. Depending upon theposition of the motor 75 and the available space between it and thehousing 43 of the slide 47, the connection between the arm 143 and theshaft 93 may be at the right hand end of this shaft. But usually it ispreferred to make the connection at an intermediate point in the lengthof the shaft. For this purpose, the bearing portion 91 of the slideblock 47 is cut away or grooved intermediate its length, as seen at 145,and the rod or shaft 93 has a portion 147 of reduced diameter, lying inthis cutaway notch 145. The upper end of the arm 143 is slotted at 151and loosely embraces the reduced diameter part 147 of the shaft 93,sufficiently tightly to insure interengagement between the arm and theshaft during all parts of the upward and downward reciprocating strokesof the block or slide 47. Since the arm 143 is rigidly mounted on thefeeding slide 13, it is seen that as the slide 13 makes its feedingmovements rightwardly and leftwardly when viewed from the front as inFIG. 2, the upper end of the arm 143 will correspondingly moverightwardly and leftwardly (within the notch 145) and this will causecorresponding rightward and leftward motion of the shaft 93, in adirection longitudinally or axially of such shaft. This feeding motionis not very great in extent, being only the distance of one stitch.

Since the arm 143 is rigid on the feeding slide, and since the cutterassembly is mounted for limited oscillation on the shaft so as to beable to raise the presser foot from the work and to lower it again intocontact with the work, it follows that there must be provision forrelative upward and downward swinging movement between the arm 143 onthe one hand and the shaft 93 on the other hand. Therefore, the abovementioned slot 151 which embraces the reduced diameter part 147 of theshaft 93, is formed as an arcuate slot, concentric with the shaft 25.Conveniently, the rear end of the slot is open as shown in FIG. 3, butthe slot is long enough so that the shaft 93 remains embraced by theslot and does not escape from the open rear end of the slot even whenthe presser foot assembly is swung upwardly and rearwardly to itsmaximum extent, when raising the presser foot from the work.

To summarize briefly the operation of the present attachment oraccessory, in connection with the stitching operations performed by thebasic machine, the presser foot and the cutter are moved upwardly awayfrom the work support 19, to enable the marginal edge of the shoe sole21 and welt 23 to be placed on the work support. This upward movement isaccomplished by pressing rearwardly and slightly upwardly on the mainblock or housing 43 of the cutter attachment, using this as anappropriate handle, since the original handle provided on the presserfoot lever for this purpose, on the original machine, has been removedto allow space for mounting the lower end of the bracket 41. The usualconventional latch for holding the presser foot in its down position isreleased, of course, just as it would be if the present attachment werenot on the machine.

After placing the edge of the sole and welt in proper position, thepresser foot (together with the cutting blade 111) is brought downwardlyonto the top of the inverted shoe sole, just as would be the case if thepresent attachment were not used. The electric motor is turned on if notpreviously running, although normally it is left running even when thepresser foot is raised to permit removal of a shoe on which thestitching has been completed, and insertion of the next shoe.

The operation of the motor rotates the shaft 61, and the eccentricportion 69 thereof, rotating in the slot 67 of the slide block 47,causes the slide block to reciprocate upwardly and downwardly in thehousing 43. This upward and downward motion is transmitted to the shaftor rod 93. It is a relatively slight upward and downward stroke, thedistance of the stroke being only the relatively slight depth of thechannel C which is to be cut in the shoe sole 21. The bracket 143,although it embraces the shaft or rod 93, does not interfere with theseslight upward and downward reciprocations of the rod, because the slot151 in the rod is made sufliciently wide (in a vertical direction) topermit the necessary upward and downward reciprocation of the rod orshaft.

When the stitching machine is started in its normal operation, it willmake stitches in the normal manner, the awl 15 coming up through thewelt 23 and sole 21 to make an opening therethrough, and then when theawl has penetrated the welt and sole, the feeding slide 13 will moveleftwardly through the space of one stitch, moving the awl leftwardlywith it, so that the awl pulls the welt and shoe along through thefeeding motion. The bracket or arm 14 3 being attached to the feedingslide 13 parta'kes of the same leftward feeding motion, and causescorresponding leftward feeding motion of the shaft or rod 96, slidingthe same axially in its bearing 91 in the bottom part of the slide block47. This causes corresponding leftward motion of the upwardly anddownwardly reciprocating cutter parts 97, 105, 199 and 11 1, so thatduring the feeding motion of the shoe sole, there is no relative lateralmotion of the cutter blade relative to the shoe sole, but only an upwardand downward motion. Consequently the cutter blade does not constituteany drag whatsoever on the feeding motion of the shoe sole, and does notincrease the resistance to the feeding motion so that there is noincreased resistance to the leftward feeding movement of the awl. Thisavoids the breakage of the aiwl which occurs so easily and so frequentlywhen it is attempted to cut a channel by means of a stationary bladewhich is drawn through the sole as the sole performs its feedingmovement.

At the end of one leftward feeding movement, the awl is withdrawndownwardly and the need-1e 17 comes downwardly into the hole previouslymade by the awl, and forms the stitch with the conventional thread (notshown). When the awl has cleared the bottom face of the welt 23, thefeeding slide 13 moves rightwardly through the space of one stitch, tobring the awl to the position for its next penetration of the sole.During this rightward movement the sole is stationary, but the rightwardmovement of the feeding slide, transmitted through the member 143,causes corresponding rightward movement of the shaft or rod 93, therebymoving the cutter parts 97, 105, 109, and 11:1 rightwardly through thedistance of one stitch. It will be remembered that the operation of themotor 75 is causing rapid upward and downward reciprocation of thecutter blade 199, 111 at this time, so that the channel C is easilyformed in the sole during '2 the rightward movement of the cutter blade.At this time the sole 2/1 is stationary and the awl 15 is not evenpenetrating the sole, so that the formation of the channel C does notcause any stress or strain on the awl.

At the conclusion of the rightward feeding motion of the feeding slide13 (accompanied, as above explained, by corresponding rightward motionof the cutter blade) the awl 15 once more comes up to penetrate the weltand the sole, and the upward motion of the awl brings it directly in tothe channel C which has been formed. After penetrating, the awl movesleftwardly again as before, and then downwardly when the needle 1'7comes down to form a stitch. The horizontal part of the stitch now liesin the channel C instead of protruding on the face of the shoe sole.This action of leftward feeding movement of the shoe sole, alternatingwith rightward movement of the rapidly reciprocating cutter blade whilethe shoe sole is stationary, is repeated indefinitely, as often asrequired in the sewing or stitching operation.

A very eifective and satisfactory channel is thus formed, for receivingthe stitching on the exposed face of the sole. After completion ofstitching, when the face of the sole is buffed or burnished this tendsto mash down the edges of the channel and completely or partially coversthe stitching which is in the channel, thus improving the appearance ofthe exposed face of the shoe sole.

'In some cases it may be desired to omit the right and left feedingmotion of the cutter blade, and to utilize merely the upward anddownward motion thereof. If this is desired, the feeding arm 143 may beremoved, and the shaft or rod 93 may be anchored against longitudinalmovement by tightening the set screws 161 (FIG. 2).

The motor 75 is preferably driven at such rate of speed that the cutterblade will make some six to twenty downward strokes during the formationof one stitch. A low speed in this range is sufficient when the cutterblade moves with the feeding slide, as preferred. A higher speed ispreferably when the cutter blade is disconnected from the feeding slide.

It is seen from the foregoing disclosure that the objects and purposesof the invention are well fulfilled. It is to be understood that theforegoing disclosure is given by way of illustrative example only,rather than by way of limitation, and that without departing from theinvention, the details may be varied within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe sole channel cutter for a shoe sole stitching machine of thetype including a work support for supporting a shoe sole in an invertedposition, a feed member mounted for reciprocation approximatelyhorizontally, and an awl mounted for upward and downward movement topenetrate a shoe sole on said work support and to be withdrawn therefromand operatively connected to said feed member to move approximatelyhorizontally therewith, said channel cutter including a cutter blademounted for upward and downward reciprocation to cut a channel in a shoesole resting on said work support, a reciprocating block, guide meansfor guiding said block for upward and downward movement whilerestraining it against substantial movement in an approximatelyhorizontal direction, motor means for reciprocating said block upwardlyand downwardly, means including a horizontally slidable connection forreciprocating said cutter blade upwardly and downwardly by thereciprocating movements of said block, and means operatively connectingsaid cutter blade to said feed member to move said cutter bladeapproximately horizontally by the reciprocating movements of said feedmember, said horizontally slidable connection enabling said cutter bladeto move horizontally without causing corresponding horizontal movementof said reciprocating block.

2. A shoe sole channel cutter for a shoe sole stitching machine of thetype including a work support for supporting a shoe sole in an invertedposition, presser foot means swingable upwardly and downwardly andincluding a presser foot for engaging a sole resting on said worksupport during a stitching operation, and a feed member mounted forreciprocation approximately horizontally, said channel cutter includinga reciprocating member, guide means for guiding said reciprocatingmember for upward and downward movement said guide means being mountedon said presser foot means to swing bodily therewith when said presserfoot means is swung to move said presser foot upwardly and downwardly,motor driven means for reciprocating said reciprocating member relativeto its said guide means, said reciprocating member including meansforming a guideway extending in a direction substantially parallel tothe direction of reciproeating movement of said feed member, a cutterassembly including a first portion mounted for movement along saidguideway of said reciprocating member and a second portion including asharp cutting blade adjacent said presser foot and mounted for movementrelative thereto in an upward and downward direction to act upon a shoesole located between said presser foot and said work support and alsofor movement in a direction parallel to the direction of feedingmovement of said feed member, and an arm operatively connecting saidfeed member to said cutter assembly to impart the approximatelyhorizontal feeding movements of said feed member to said cutter assemblywhile said cutter assembly is also being moved upwardly and downwardlyby the reciprocation of said reciprocating member.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein said means forreciprocating said reciprocating member in cludes an approximatelyhorizontally extending shaft journ-alled in said guide means and havingan eccentric portion, said reciprocating member acting as a followerengaged by said eccentric portion and moved thereby.

4. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein said first portion ofsaid cutter assembly includes a shaft slidable longitudinally butnon-r'otatably in said guideway.

5. A construction as defined in claim 2, wherein said first portion ofsaid cutter assembly includes a shaft slidable longitudinally butnon-rotatably in said guideway and wherein said arm engages said shaftto move it longitudinally.

6. A construction as defined in claim 5, further including means fordisconnecting said arm from said shaft and means for locking said shaftagainst longitudinal movement when it is desired to have said cutterassembly reciprocate upwardly and downwardly without movingapproximately horizontally with said feed member.

7. Shoe sole channel cutter mechanism for use with a stitching machineof the type including presser foot means mounted for upward and downwardswinging movement and feeding means including a part mounted forapproximately horizontal reciprocation, said cutter mechanismcomprising:

(a) guide means adapted to be mounted on said presser foot means toswing bodily upwardly and downwardly therewith, in such position thatsaid guide means will be approximately vertical when said presser footmeans is swung down to normal operative position engaging a shoe sole;

(b) a reciprocating member mounted for upward and downward movementalong said guide means;

(c) rotary means for causing upward and downward ricprocation of saidreciprocating member along said guide means;

(d) means on said reciprocating member forming a guideway extendingapproximately horizontally and approximately parallel to the directionof reciprocation of said part of said feeding means;

(e) slide means mounted for longitudinal sliding movement along saidguideway means on said reciprocating member;

(f) a shoe sole channel cutting member rigidly connected to said slidemeans to partake of the longitudinal sliding movement of said slidemeans as well as the upward and downward movements thereof caused by theupward and downward reciprocation of said reciprocating member; and

(g) a connecting member adapted to be mounted on said part of saidfeeding means and to engage said slide means to impart to said slidemeans the approximately horizontal reciprocation movement of said partof said feeding means.

8. Shoe sole channel cutter mechanism for use with a stitching machineof the type including presser foot means mounted for upward and downwardswinging movement and feeding means including a part mounted forapproximately horizontal reciprocation, said cutter mechanismcomprising:

(a) guide means adapted to be mounted on said presser foot means toswing bodily upwardly and downwardly therewith, in such position thatsaid guide means will be approximately vertical when said presser footmeans is swung down to normal operative position engaging a shoe sole;

(b) a reciprocating member mounted for upward and downward movementalong said guide means;

(c) rotary means for causing upward and downward reciprocation of saidreciprocating member along said guide means;

((1) a shoe sole channel cutting member; and

(e) means operatively connecting said cutting member to saidreciprocating member to impart to said cutting member the upward anddownward movements of said reciprocating member.

9. Shoe sole channel cutter mechanism for use with a stitching machineof the type including presser foot means mounted for upward and downwardswinging movement and feeding means including a part mounted forapproximately horizontal reciprocation, said cutter mechanismcomprising:

(a) guide means adapted to be mounted on said presser foot means toswing bodily upwardly and downwardly therewith, in such position thatsaid guide means will be approximately vertical when said presser footmeans is swung down to normal operative position engaging a shoe sole;

(b) a reciprocating member mounted for upward and downward movementalong said guide means;

(c) rotary means including a shaft and an eccentric for causing upwardand downward reciprocation of said reciprocating member along said guidemeans;

(d) a motor mounting bracket connected to said guide means;

(e) an electric motor mounted on said bracket for driving said shaft;

(f) means on said reciprocating member forming a guideway extendingapproximately horizontally and approximately parallel to the directionof reciprocation of said part of said feeding means;

(g) slide means mounted for longitudinal sliding movement along saidguideway means on said reciprocating member;

(h) a shoe sole channel cutting member rigidly connected to said slidemeans to partake of the longitudinal sliding movement of said slidemeans as well as the upward and downward movements there of caused bythe upward and downward reciprocation of said reciprocating member; and.

(i) a connecting member adapted to be mounted on said part of saidfeeding means and to engage said slide means to impart to said slidemeans the approximately horizontal reciprocation movement of said partof said feeding means.

References fitted by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,924,737 8/1933Ferrara 112-45 2,148,546 2/ 1939 Ferrara 112- 2,197,796 4/ 1940 Ferrara1l245 2,343,501 3/ 1944 Ferrara 112-45 2,523,948 9/1950 Ferrara 112-45FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. P. D. LAWSON, Assistant Examiner.

1. A SHOE SOLE CHANNEL CUTTER FOR A SHOE SOLE STITCHING MACHINE OF THETUPE INCLUDING A WORK SUPPORT FOR SUPPORTING A SHOE SOLE IN AN INVERTEDPOSITION, A FEED MEMBER MOUNTED FOR RECIPROCATION APPROXIMATELYHORIZONTALLY, AND AN AWL MOUNTED FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT TOPENETRATE A SHOE SOLE ON SAID WORK SUPPORT AND TO BE WITHDRAWN THEREFROMAND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FEED MEMBER TO MOVE APPROXIMATELYHORIZONTALLY THEREWITH, SAID CHANNEL CUTTER INCLUDING A CUTTER BLADEMOUNTED FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD RECIPROCATION TO CUT A CHANNEL IN A SHOESOLE RESTING ON SAID WORK SUPPORT, A RECIPROCATING BLOCK, GUIDE MEANSFOR GUIDING SAID BLOCK FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT WHILERESTRAINING IT AGAINST SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT IN AN APPROXIMATELYHORIZONTAL DIRECTION, MOTOR MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID BLOCK UPWARDLYAND DOWNWARDLY, MEANS INCLUDING A HORIZONTALLY SLIDABLE CONNECTION FORRECIPROCATING SAID CUTTER BLADE UPWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY BY THERECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS OF SAID BLOCK, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTINGSAID CUTTER BLADE TO SAID FEED MEMBER TO MOVE SAID CUTTER BLADEAPPROXIMATELY HORIZONTALLY BY THE RECIPROCATING MOVEMENTS OF SAID FEEDMEMBER, SAID HORIZONTALLY SLIDABLE CONNECTION ENABLING SAID CUTTER BLADETO MOVE HORIZONTALLY WITHOUT CAUSING CORRESPONDING HORIZONTAL MOVEMENTOF SAID RECIPROCATING BLOCK.